As of Fall 2024, PASL has replaced the former University Student Assessment Policy (USAP). The name change to 鈥渁ssessment of student learning鈥� (PASL) rather than 鈥渟tudent assessment鈥� (USAP) stresses the shift towards assessing student learning and not evaluating the student.
Some benefits of PASL
- Using assessment criteria can make grading more efficient for instructors.
- Sharing criteria with students provides them with a learning target and promotes equity, fairness, and consistency.
- Formative feedback helps both students and instructors focus on learning and understand student progress.
- More clarity for students about expectations for their work means fewer questions for instructors.
- Flexibility in assessment tasks and due dates enables instructors to respond to their unique course contexts.
Key differences between PASL and USAP
| PASL | USAP |
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Principles-based Provides 鈥渁 set of common principles to guide assessment of student learning throughout 91社区鈥� (2.1). |
Primarily process-based Aims to bring together into a single document all the disparate policies at 91社区 with regard to all types of student assessments (1.1). |
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Criterion-referenced assessment (definition) To encourage assessment for learning, instructors must include in the course outline expectations for all assessment tasks, including for participation, detailing explicitly the variety of ways in which grades can be earned. Instructors must include explicit criteria to describe the key elements of the students鈥� learning. Instructors are to provide concrete descriptors for each level of performance when the assessment task is formally assigned to students (5.5). |
Primarily norm-referenced assessment (definition) |
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Healthier learning environments Students can make informed decisions about workloads with the right to receive some formative feedback on their progress before the course withdrawal without refund deadline (5.3). Ensures that breaks are in fact breaks:听
Specifies which in-term assessment tasks can be due in the last 10 working days of classes (6.7). |
听 States that the policy is meant to protect students from excessive workloads (1.1) but does not outline how to do so. Does not stipulate that students should receive timely formative feedback. |
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Equity a central consideration Regardless of where exams take place, all students in the same course must be provided with the same access to instructions (9.5). Pregnant and care-giving students can request reasonable accommodation in fulfilling an assessment in accordance with guidelines (7.1). Graded assessment tasks, including third party rereads, must be available to the student at no financial cost. Access to assessment tasks must not require the payment of fees other than approved course fees (5.6). |
听 Equity was not a consideration when USAP was drafted but today it forms part of the principles that fulfill the University鈥檚 mission and is key to the EDI Strategic Plan. |
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Formative feedback Students must have the opportunity to receive some formative feedback before the University's official course withdrawal (without refund) deadline (5.3). Students have the opportunity to receive timely and ongoing feedback they can use to improve (formative assessment), and feedback used to judge students鈥� knowledge, understanding, and performance at the end of a unit, course, or program to determine if they have achieved the learning outcomes (summative assessment) (4.3). |
听 USAP makes no mention of formative feedback. |
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Less exam-centric听 Final assessments can include assignments as well as exams (3.1). All assessment tasks must have a due date before the last day of exams (6.6). Allows the exam period to be used for other (non-exam) assessment tasks (9). |
听 Exam period intended for exams only. |
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More clarity Course outlines shall include:
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听 Normally, participation will not exceed 10% of the final grade. If participation is to exceed 10%, instructors must include a clear rubric in the course outline (3.1.6).听 |
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More flexibility Allows Faculties to develop local guidelines that fit their circumstances. Allows for:
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听 Exceptions are named in the Notes section. No possibility of modifying assessment once course outline distributed. |
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More transparency Provides students with a path for contesting an assessment practice and a clear accountability process (10). Before requesting a third party reread, a student must make a request to the instructor for an explanation of the grade. This request must be in writing and include a rationale for any requested change (8.2). |
听 No clear path or accountability for reporting violations. |
鈻� Access a more detailed comparison of the changes between PASL and USAP.